Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Of course, you know that Mary appeared to Bernadette on February 11, 1858 and this is the 100th anniversary of the apparition at Fatima, which occurred May 13, 1917. There have been many more apparitions of Mary throughout the ages. Mary says more in her apparitions than she did in the Bible. While at the foot of the cross, Jesus shared His Mother with us. She then, became our Mother. She takes up her mantle and comes to us. This is more so now than in Jesus' time. We know those visits as her apparitions. It all makes sense because in all her apparitions, Mary asks us to go to her Son and listen to Him. As in the Bible, she was listening to her Son. She always points to Him.Did you know that on April 1870, Julia Harms saw the Blessed Virgin Mary at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine? She was the wife of the owner of the Harms Farm, as the Shrine was known before it was sold to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in 1920. We invite you to continue listening to our Lord, as Mary requests. Come and share in the 3 days of prayer to St. Ann and St. Joachim, Jesus' grandparents, on July 24, 25, and 26. We will pray the Rosary at 7:00pm each night, followed by Mass.In August, the Novena for the Assumption will take place at the Shrine from August 7th through August 15th. Come join us in prayer.

Friday, April 14, 2017

On May 7th, we will celebrate the 9:30am Mass outdoors, weather permitting.

To open our season, we have invited Fr. Kevin Estabrook, Parochial Vicar from St. Clare, to celebrate Mass.

We will have Stations of the Cross at 3:00pm
Rosary and Benediction at 4:00pm

Did you know that "a plenary indulgence is grated to the faithful, or religious community, or an association of the faithful, and in general when some of the faithful gather for some honest purpose." Many of you flocked to the Shrine for the indulgence granted for the Holy Door. You can still receive an indulgence by reciting the Rosary with us here at the Shrine!

Also, keep in mind - the Corpus Christi Procession is on Sunday, June 18th, starting in the Chapel at 3:30pm.

Pasta dinnersare scheduled for April 20th, May 18th, and June 15th.

Shrine Season Sunday schedule:

8:00am - Mass in the Chapel9:30am - Mass in the Grotto (weather permitting)

So many stories of grace, mercy, and reconciliation have come to light since "The Year of Mercy" and the Holy Door opening at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. One of the most touching stories was of a woman who was in hospice and requested to visit the Shrine and go through the Holy Door as here "make-a-wish" final request. Perhaps we have told you about this, but we feel we need to tell the rest of the story. Not only were we honored to be considered worthy of this wish, but we wanted to honor this wish. When the woman came, we were so impressed because she came with the nurse, the Activities Director, the driver, an aide, and many members of her family. Even though the date was set, her physical condition could not guarantee that she would arrive. While she was here, we talked about how she loved the Shrine and the Blessed Mother. We looked at the last stained glass window and talked about how she was now the person in the wheelchair, when for so many years before, she had been the one pushing the the wheelchair for others. She said the most impressive moments were her time praying before the Blessed Sacrament. Her face was transfigured...it was as if she was once more a young woman. It seemed that she and the Lord were having a private conversation. She said that her time was short. We recently heard that this lovely woman passed away shortly after her wish was fulfilled. In speaking to her caregivers, we were told that her visit was a real miracle because she was so ill that they could not guarantee getting her out of bed, even getting to sit in a wheelchair was miraculous. Her last good day was spent at the Shrine. Knowing that, how much more did those words: "I will be with Jesus soon." and the reference to the wheelchair mean. After her death, among her things, the family found a silver music box with the figure of Our Lady of Lourdes on it. The song the music box played was Immaculate Mary.

Sunday, March 5, 2017

This is a picture taken during the Assumption Novena in August 2016.
We had a beautiful double rainbow over Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. This picture was taken from the Giant Eagle looking towards the Shrine.

Thank you for attending our Lourdes Novena! It was so good to pray with you! I hope you felt the Spirit among us as we prayed. Many graces were granted during the Novena. Someone told us that she prayed for her sister in Germany who had melanoma and was cured of it. That is why she comes to the Shrine and will never stop.
Another family told us that their little girl was healed from leukemia. These are just the stories that we know.

You may remember at this time last year we were telling you that we had the grace of hosting the Holy Door during the Year of Mercy. So many graces were granted. So many people reconciled with God, their families, and themselves.

Just because it is officially the end of the Year of Mercy, it does not mean that God stopped being merciful. The apparitions of Lourdes and Fatima (which will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary soon) are both all about mercy and put God's mercy front and center. The apparition of Fatima continues and enhances the messages of Lourdes. Think of the apparitions as a jewel with many facets. The Lord shines the light upon each apparition highlighting what we need to learn and preparing us for the next one.

Come and visit the Shrine and pray for your intentions. Ask the Lord for His mercy. Like St. John, the beloved Disciple, lay your head on the heart of Jesus, the Master. Feel the call of the Master.

Some upcoming events:We have Fish Fries on Friday, March 24th and Friday, April 7th.

Come help us decorate the Chapel for Easter.Flower donations are due by Sunday, April 9th.The form for the flower donations is below:

Please Print:For the Easter Booklet:

Donation Amount for Flowers for the Chapel and Yard: $__________________________________

Thursday, February 2, 2017

FRENCH TOAST BREAKFASTSunday, February 5th8:45am - 11:30amTickets: $5.00Come and celebrate Mass with us at 8:00am in the Chapel and enjoy a delicious French Toast Breakfast afterwards in St. Ann's Dining Room. Food, Fun, and Fellowship!

O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfort of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; deign to cast upon me a look of mercy. By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my request. I will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share in your glory, and bless you in eternity. Amen.Name: _____________________________________Address: ___________________________________ ____________________________________City/State/Zip: _______________________________Email: ______________________________________Donation: ___________________________________Candle Donation: $20 (1 month) ______ $100 (6 months) ________Novena Intentions:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bring this with you to the Chapel or Mail to: Our Lady of Lourdes ShrineSisters of the Most Holy Trinity21281 Chardon RoadEuclid, OH 44117

The 100th Anniversary of the Apparition at Fatima and, while we are on Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, the Fatima apparition merely continue's Our Heavenly Mother's message to all of us. This anniversary comes on the heels of the Year of Mercy. As always, God's timing is perfect! Who's to say that last year was a spiritual preparation for this year's celebration?With that in mind, we would like to share with you one story that occurred during the Year of Mercy, illustrating Our Heavenly Mother's love in our lives.Two women from southern Ohio telephoned that they were looking for our Shrine, but could not find it. Their GPS was not getting them in the right direction. So we stayed with them on the phone, guiding them to our parking lot. Once they arrived, they could not find the chapel. Still on the phone, we asked them what they saw. All they could see was the wall between the lot and the driveway. All they had to do was get out of their car and walk to the building with the cross on it. They still just kept seeing the wall. We told them to "look up"; just look up from the bottom of the wall and look beyond. Just as we were about to go out and help them, they said that they were going to ask a man who has just walked by. Well, we guess that they made it because there was no further phone call.That evening at dinner, that story was the topic of conversation. It seems that all of us knew some part of the story. The two women were at the Justice Center downtown visiting a relative who had been arrested. They did not have much means or friends so they felt helpless and defeated. Somehow, someone mentioned the Shrine to them. They came to pray for help.How they got to the Shrine is a miracle. Someone telling them to "look up"; look beyond the wall was a message. Their prayers were answered.Another person guiding them to the chapel was the gentle love of Jesus and His Mother. We don't know what happened to the family, but we do know that God showed them mercy through Mary. They came to Mary's home, Mom's home, to receive the love and comfort only a Mother can give. We also need to "look up" and not be mired in defeat. We look up to God's gentle guidance and the signs that He gives us along the way. Come and join us for the Lourdes Novena, February 3rd through 11th. The Rosary will be at 7:00pm followed by Mass and the Novena prayer. In addition, on February 3rd, the Feast of St. Blaise, there will be blessing of throats. Confessions will be heard on February 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 10th from 6:30pm to 7:00pm. Bring your petitions or mail them. We will place the petitions at the feet of Our Lady of Lourdes. It's Our Heavenly Mother's maternal love that will bring our prayers to Her Son.

Let's review the messages that Our Heavenly Mother gave to Bernadette and see how well we are living them.

Holy Mary told Bernadette that she wanted a beautiful chapel built at the sight so that "the people could come in procession to her Son." She asked Bernadette to pray and to tell the people to pray for sinners.

We know that Bernadette personally followed these instructions, but what about us? For our purposes, here in Euclid, because of the relics directly from Lourdes, our schedule closely replicating the one in Lourdes, France, and that the Shrine so closely follows the layout of the one in Lourdes, France, we are considered a direct satellite of the Shrine in France. Consider Lourdes, France to be the Mother Shrine and we are one of its daughters.

We do have a beautiful chapel with all kinds of opportunities to pray for all people. We do walk in procession to Mary's Son. This past year, we were given the gift of hosting the Holy Door. Over 6,000 pilgrims walked through that door from April through October, receiving the mercy of God. The effects of that mercy were so beautiful. We remain most faithful to Our Heavenly Mother's instructions. The faithfulness has been rewarded in many ways. In future newsletters, we will bring some of those stories.

The next opportunity to follow Our Heavenly Mother's instructions is through the Lourdes Novena. It begins on Friday, February 3rd and continues through the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11th. We will have the Novena with Rosary starting at 7:00pm, followed by Mass and recitation of the Novena prayer. Confessions will also be heard on designated evenings. See our website for more details: http://www.srstrinity.com/shrine-events.shtml

Saturday, November 5, 2016

In our last post, we spoke about the messages of Lourdes. Let's look at the message of Mary's request: "Ask your priest to build a beautiful chapel here so that the people can come to my Son in procession."

While we should be doing this anyway, during this Year of Mercy at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, we have been walking through the Holy Doors. Walking through the Holy Doors is complying with Mary's request of 1858, but every time we go to Mass, we also fulfill her request.We are always called to come to the Mercy of Jesus. During this Year of Mercy, we have seen the evidence of so many graces received and so much mercy bestowed upon so many people. The Year of Mercy should not end because of a calendar date. Every year, every month, every day, we should continue practicing mercy as this year has prompted. We need to be doing acts of mercy ever day! One of the blessings of the Holy Doors was receiving the plenary indulgence, which we could ask God to bestow upon a poor soul in Purgatory. It is no coincidence then that every year, on November 2nd, All Souls Day, we are asked to pray for the Poor Souls. Again, this is something that we should be doing everyday of the year, not just on November 2nd. During the month of November, we will again be having the Novena of Masses for the Poor Souls and you will find a form on our website to list your deceased loves ones for this Novena. You may also want to add them to the Purgatory Page, where many Holy Souls are listed and prayed for daily. "Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. And may the Souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."

Please pray this prayer daily for the Holy Souls in Purgatory:"Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. And may the Souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."
You can also offer this prayer for a specific person by substituting "him" or "them" with a specific name.

Monday, September 26, 2016

There are all kinds of closing ceremonies. We recently witnessed another closing ceremony to the Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil. There are closing ceremonies for galas, special events, conferences, and yes, even debates and elections. A closing ceremony not only marks an end but also the beginning. For the Summer Olympics not only did it mark the end, it highlighted the beginning of the next Summer Olympics in 4 years in Japan. For the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity and the Catholic Community, the closing ceremony marks the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. On October 30, 2016, the Ceremony Closing the Holy Doors for the Jubilee Year of Mercy will occur at the 9:30am Mass in the Grotto.

If you have not had a chance to walk through the Holy Doors, there is one more month to do so at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. After fulfilling the obligations for the Indulgence and walking through the Holy Doors, it will begin a walk of faith for you. For more information about the Holy Doors, go here.

Monday, September 19, 2016

The Story of Our Lady of Lourdes is such a beautiful one, not only because Mary appeared to St. Bernadette, but also because of Bernadette's example to all of us!

Did you know that Mary told Bernadette three secrets? She was faithful and kept her promise to Our Lady. Everyone tried to guess what the secrets were, but all Bernadette would say was that the secrets were for her alone.

The message of the apparition were to pray for sinners, do penance, and to enable the people to come to Jesus in procession. We do this every time we approach Jesus in the Eucharist. The question remains, though, can we be as devout and faithful as Bernadette? Can we give our lives to do what Jesus and Mary ask us to do? Are we "Catholic" only on Sunday? Bernadette gave everything to God. After a child made their First Communion, if they were poor, they were expected to find work. They were not able to pay for further education. When Bernadette was asked what she wanted to do, her reply was that she wished to be a nun. People thought she might change her mind, but Bernadette was firm in her decision.

Getting back to our story of Lourdes and Bernadette in 1858, with the drawing to the close of the apparitions, the Grotto was in a state of flux.

Many visionaries cropped up and were proven false. Perhaps this was permitted so that they could be compared to Bernadette, and then it would quickly point out the difference between the two.

Bernadette herself finally made her First Holy Communion on June 3, 1858. It was said that it took her a long time to prepare for this event because she had difficulty learning her catechism. But just think - this was the person whom God chose to receive his Mother here on earth!

The final vision occurred on July 16th, the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Bernadette tried to resume her life as it was before the apparitions. She sought no attention, but she was in the middle of it because of all the visions to Lourdes seeking cures. Bernadette's focus was upon Mary's main message - prayer and penance. Mary's message to Bernadette is as relevant today as it was in 1858. It is up to us to live this message in our own lives. It wasn't glamorous then and it isn't now, but then Bernadette wasn't chosen for her glamor. God Bless us all!

Hello everyone! The Assumption Novena was indeed a source of much grace!

Did anyone happen to get a photo of the rainbow that arched over the Shrine two nights during the Novena? If so, would you please email us a copy at spalavalle@yahoo.com. We would like to add it to our web page and blog.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

After the 'Beautiful Lady' identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, Bernadette began to take a minor role in the apparitions. She had fulfilled what Mary had asked of her. It was the officials of the town who kept pulling her in. They looked at all of the events as if they were non-spiritual occurrences. They insisted that Bernadette be tested physically and psychologically. All they discovered was that she had asthma and was telling the truth.In the face of all the people coming to peacefully pray at the Grotto without Bernadette they were desperate to prove otherwise or make up stories that would discredit Bernadette and Mary. The fact was that Lourdes had become the place where Mary appeared to Bernadette and miracles happened. Do we believe? Come and visit Our Lady of Lourdes National Shrine, right in your own backyard, in Euclid, Ohio. Listen to what Mary says to you.From August 7 - 15, the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity will be hosting a Novena for the Assumption of Mary at Our Lady of Lourdes National Shrine. The Novena Rosary will begin at 7:00pm each evening, followed by Mass. This year, Rev. Michael Gurnick, Secretary and Vicar for Clergy and Religious, Diocese of Cleveland, and Rev. timothy Kalista, Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Willoughby, Ohio, will be conducting the Novena. The theme this year is Mary in the Year of Mercy.Confessions will be August 8, 10, 12, 14, and 15 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.Keep an eye out for updates on our Clambake, coming up on Saturday, September 17th.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

The 9th Apparition is perhaps the most famous because at this apparition, we were all given a remedy for our infirmities: the water.

It was nearly dawn when Bernadette was called to the Grotto and there were many people present. All these people could see was Bernadette looking under the rocks, going to the River Gave, and finally drinking the dirty, muddy water found under a rock at the Grotto and eating the weeds. To those that observed this, Bernadette had lost her head. To those without faith, she was a live comedy show, maybe what we today would call a reality show. It wasn't until the next two Apparitions that things would become a little clearer.

People did not notice, as they laughed and doubted, Bernadette's behavior, the water was becoming clearer and flowing stronger. The following day was the 10th Apparition.

At the 10th Apparition, we see Bernadette drink and wash a bit in the water. We also see her on her knees kissing the ground and going up to the Grotto on her knees. Bernadette tells us that the "beautiful lady" asked her to make this sacrifice for the sinners in the world.

Something very special is happening at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Euclid as well.
In this Year of Mercy, Bishop Lennon has asked us to be one of the sites of the Holy Door in the Cleveland Diocese. The other site is St. John's Cathedral.

Once again, Mary's Shrine becomes a site of great mercy and forgiveness. For anyone who walks through the Holy Door, says an Our Father and Hail Mary for the intentions of the Holy Father, and goes to Mass and Confession a week before or a week after walking through the Holy Door, will receive a spiritual plenary indulgence. This means that any time to be spent in Purgatory is lessened either for you, for a deceased person, a person you are praying for, or the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Talk to your Parishes about making a Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine! Experience the outpouring of Mercy!

April 3rdDIVINE MERCY SUNDAYMass: 8:00amPope Francis has declared this year the Year of Mercy, a Year of Jubilee. With this in mind, let us take some time to put into action the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The first corporal work of mercy is to feed the hungry. The first spiritual work of mercy is to instruct the ignorant.How have we practiced those two works of mercy? By practicing the works of mercy, we break the bonds of captives. This is the charism of the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity.